If an appliance stopped working right after a thunderstorm or a power flicker, start by resetting its power at the breaker, because many control boards lock up after a surge and recover once they reboot. If it stays dead or behaves strangely after that, the surge may have damaged the control board or another electronic part.
Quick diagnosis
| Symptom | Likely cause | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| Display blank, nothing responds | Tripped breaker or a locked-up control | Switch its breaker off, wait a minute, switch it back on |
| Several kitchen or laundry outlets dead | Tripped GFCI outlet | Find the GFCI on that circuit and press reset |
| Display lights but buttons do nothing | Control glitch or control lock engaged | Power cycle at the breaker, then check for a lock icon |
| New error code since the storm | Board logged a fault during the surge | Write the code down; meanings vary by model, so check the manual |
| Burning plastic smell or scorch marks | Failed electronic part | Turn off the breaker and leave it off |
A closer look
Locked-up controls
A control board is a small computer. A spike or a fast on-off-on flicker can leave it frozen in a state where nothing responds. Cutting power completely for a minute or so lets it restart cleanly. Unplugging works too, but for a washer or fridge the breaker is often easier to reach.
Tripped breakers and GFCI outlets
Storms trip breakers, and GFCI outlets in kitchens, laundry rooms and garages can trip without the breaker moving. One GFCI can protect other outlets downstream, so a dead appliance may be fed by a GFCI across the room. Reset it once. If it trips again right away, leave it off.
Damaged boards and sensors
When a surge gets through, it usually hits the electronics: main control boards, display boards, motor controls in washers and dishwashers, and the inverter boards that run variable-speed compressors in many refrigerators. The appliance may be completely dead, partly working, or stuck on one fault code. That needs testing with a meter, not guesswork.
Hard-wired appliances
Wall ovens and many cooktops connect directly to house wiring instead of plugging in. Reset them at the breaker only. Don't open a junction box or a control panel on a hard-wired unit.
Why Houston homes see this more
The Houston area gets frequent thunderstorms, especially on summer afternoons, along with tropical systems that knock out power over wide areas. Lightning nearby and the uneven restoration after big outages both send spikes down the line, and the more electronics an appliance has, the more there is to damage.
Prevention checklist
- •Ask a licensed electrician about whole-home surge protection at the panel
- •Use surge-protected strips for countertop appliances
- •Check your manual before plugging a major appliance into a strip; many makers want big appliances on their own wall outlet
- •Unplug appliances you aren't using during an extended outage
- •Know which breaker feeds each major appliance
Time to call a pro
- •Still dead or erratic after a full power reset
- •The breaker or GFCI trips again as soon as you reset it
- •Any burning smell, buzzing or visible scorching
- •A hard-wired oven or cooktop that won't come back
Travis's rule of thumb: Reset once at the breaker. If that doesn't bring it back, the next step is a meter, not more resets.
Washer or another appliance still dark after a reset? Start with our washer repair page or call (832) 552-1615. Before the next big storm, run through the hurricane prep checklist for appliances.